Love it, leave it or create it

Everyone can probably relate to feeling unfulfilled, unappreciated and unhappy with our jobs at times. Perhaps not in our current position, but probably some point in our career. But what do you do if that feeling that unfulfilled feeling goes on for weeks, months or even (gasp!) years? If that's where you are currently, you have to make a change. Because staying in a job you hate is simply not an option. Life is way too short to live a majority of our days in a place with little meaning or purpose.

Traditionally, when faced with extreme unhappiness in the workplace, we have only really had two options: leave it or find a way to love it. Certainly quitting is sometimes the best option. Some work situations are so toxic that you do need to cut ties and start fresh somewhere else. The other option is finding a way to stay and love your job, and sometimes is so so much tougher than walking away. It involves paradigm shifts, mindset adjustments and an on-call therapist helps too. 

But what do you do if quitting just isn't an option for you and you just can't gratitude your way to loving where you are? There is a third option to your workplace woes. You can leave it. You can love it. Or you can create it.

Yes, you can create the job you want without leaving your organization. Yes you can. I've created new roles for myself a couple of times in my career and you can too.

Creating a new role for yourself within your current company will involve bravery. But most things in life worth doing require a big dose of courage. And remember you are fighting for a big part of your life here. You simply cannot stay in a job that doesn't bring you joy.

First of all look around and see what your company needs that your skills and experience could fulfill. Write a new job description for yourself. Make a case for that role and the value you bring for your company. If you have been with your company for a while, then you are an expert on what needs to be done to make improvements. Go to the person at the top that can make this happen and take that risk. If you don't feel like it's a safe place for you to speak up for what you want, then, maybe it really is time to consider moving on. But if you don't speak up, then you will never know what job happiness lies on the other side of courage.

Bottom line. If you don't like your current job, you have three options you can leave it. You can learn to love it. Or you can create it.